Improvement in paper-feeding apparatus



3 Sheets-Sheei: 1.

, J.T.ASHLEY. PAPER FEEDING APPARATUS.

No. 1071851. flyj Patented Oct. 4, 1870.

3 Sheets Sheet 2.-

J .T.ASH LEY. PAPER FEEDING APPARATUS Patented 001;. 4, 1870.

1n: mums vzrzns co" PHOTO-LITNQ, WASHINGTON, u. c.

I 3 sheetssheen 'J. T.'ASH'LEY; v PAPER PEEDING APPARATUS.

No. 107.851. Patented Oct, 4, 1870.

THE Nomus PETERS cc: PNOTO LITHOu WASHINGTON. n, cy

LJOHN'TQASHLEY, 0F BRoo LYN, E; 1)., new YORK.

LcttersPatent-No. 107,851, dated October 4, i870.

IMPROVEMENT m PAPER-FEEDING APPARATUS.

The Schedule referred to in these LettersPatent and making part of the same.

To all whmn't't mayzcciwerli I Be it known that I, Joli-N T. ASHLEY, of Brooklyn, E. D., in theoountyof Kings and State of New .York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on Paper-feedingMachinery; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull,-clear, and ex'act de-' scription thereof, reference being had-t0 the accompanying drawing making part of'this specification, in which j Figure 1, plate 1, is an elevation of one side of the improved machine, indicating the position of the several parts for picking up a sheetfrom the pile upon the table.

Figure 2, plate 1, is a top viewjo'i the machine with the several parts in the same realtive positions as in dicated. in fig.'1.y

Figure 3, plate 2, is a section taken longitudinally through the center-ofthe machine, withthe several 3 parts in the same relativc'posit-ions as indicated in figs. 1 and 2, plate 1-.

,Figure 4, plate2, is a similar view of'the same parts shown in'fig. 3,indicatiug them in the act of deliveringa sheet of paper between the, feed-rollers.

Figure 5, plate 2, is a transverse. vertical section,

taken centrally through the suction-box and its immediate connections, when in the position indicated "infigs. 1, 2, and 3.

Figure 6, plate -2, is a vertical "section through the I suction-box after it haspicked up a sheet, and just before it .is elevated and moved'forwa-rd to deliverthe sheet between thefeedrolls, Figure 7, plate 3,'is an elevation of one side of the machine,showing aicam and lcvcrapplied to it for operating a laterallyqnovable foot-upon the sheets.

Figure 8, plate 3, is a top view of one side of the machine, with the said foot and its actuating parts ap- .plied. i i

"Figure. 9, plate 3, is-a perspective 'view of one of these feet, which may besnsed to assist in separating the sheets. a

- Figure 11 is abot'tom View of tliesuction-box.

Similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on machinery for feeding calender-s, presses, and

.- other like machines with sheets of paper, wherein a pneumatic apparatus is employed for liftingthe sheets,

one at a time, from a pile, and delivering the same be- H tween feed-rollers, griping devices, or other equivat eceiving andcarrying devices.

The nature of myinventionconsistS- First, in a pneumatic suction-box or chest, which receives averticahand also a horizontal movement, and whichis so arranged, guided,and .controlled as to pick up sheets of paper, one at a time, from a pile of paper, and deliver the sheets betwcenrollers, gripers, or other equivalent receiving and carrying devices, as will be hereinafter explained.

Second, in a pnenmatic'suction-box 01 chest, which is constructed with a flexible bellows bottom in such manner that, in. th'eact of picking up the topmost sheet of a pile, the edges of such sheet will be lifted somewhat higher than the central 'portion, to allow blasts of air to be directed laterally beneath the sheet, and thereby facilitate the separation of the sheet from the succeeding lower one, as will be hereinafter ex plained. v

Third, in the construction of a pneumatic suctionbox, with rigid or flexible hollow fingers projecting from its flexible bottom,.which fingers are arranged a'tsuitahle distances apart, and adapted, by the action at a time, and deliver the same either between rollers or other equivalent griping devices, as will be hereinafter explained. j

.Fourth, in the employment in a paper-feeding machine, of stripping-devices, which will, when arranged rising together, as will be hereinafter explained;

Fifth,- in the employment of flexible or rigid picking-up fingers applied to and'communicating with a suction-box, in combination with annularly-groo'ved',

feed-rollers, whereby each sheet is firmly held until it is delivered between the said rollers, as will hehereinafter explained.

Sixth, in providing for keeping the sheets of paper the feed-rollers, or other equivalent devices, by means of pushing-rollers, brushes, and'other equivalent dediag'onally to the length of feed-movement of the sheets, which devices will move the topmost sheets laterally and forward against a straight edge or guide upon the frame of the machine, as will be hereinafter explained. I V

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my-invention, I will describe the best means known to me for carrying it into efl'cct. I

'In carrying my present int 'n'tion into efi'ect,1shall employ means for antomatic lly elevating the table rnpon which the pile of paper'is supported, so that the ate with the gradual diminution of the height of the of draughts of air, to pick up the sheets of paper, one

in proper relation tothe edges of the pile of sheets, offer such resistance to the edges ofa sheet, in the act. -of lifting it from the pile, as will prevent-two sheets upon the table in proper position. for presentation to vices, applied to a rotating shaft, which is arranged upward movement of this table shall be commensun pile of-paper, by the removal of the sheets therefrom, thereby keeping the topmost sheet always atv a given distance from the picking-up. device. For this purpose, the elevating device described and shown in" my The frame A of the machine, shown in the accompanying drawing, is of a rectangular form, consisting of vertical sides and ends, suitably connected together,

- and adapted forreceiving and supporting the devices which I shall now describe.

Within'the-frame A is a vertically-movable table,

B, upon which the pile of paper (indicated by dotted lines, figs. 3, .4, and 5,)is supported. This table Bis moved upwardly by suitable mechanism during the operation of removing sheets of paper from the machine between the annularly-grooved feed-rollers H H.

O is a horizontal shaft, which extends transversely across that end of frameA into which the pile of 'paper is introduced, which shaft is supported by elevated bearings, and provided 'on its ends with two segmental cams, c c, and two eccentric cams, c 0.

'D D are two levers, which are provided with arms (Id, and which pass freely through fulcrum guides D D, applied to the sides of frame A.

The segments 0' c, in their revolution, depress-the rear ends of levers D D by their action upon the arms (1 d of these levers, and the eccentrics c c, by acting upon the rear ends of said levers, move them forward.

The front endsof levers D D are connected by piv-.

' ots e to blocks 8, which are secured to and rise perpendicularly from the ends g of a suction-box G.

The ends 9 of the top board of suction-box G are fitted to slide horizontally in guides F E, which guides are fixed to the upper ends of vertically-movable sashes S S; the suction-box G is thus guided horizontally in its forward and backward movement, and also guided vertically by the sashes S. These sashes are applied on the outer sides of the frame A, and guided between the side'pieces S S, as shown in fig. 1.

' The segments 0 0', operating on the armed d of levers D I), raise the sashes S S, and with them the suction-box G; and, while in this elevated position, the eccentrics c 0, operating on the ends of said levers, move the suction-box G forward far'enough toallow a sheet of paper to be taken hold of by the rollers H H.

to bring the forward part of the sheet into proper relation with the height of the feed-rollers H H, so that,

" when the succeeding forward movement of the said suction-box terminates, the sheet will be delivered in the bite of said rollers.

It will be seen, by reference to fig. 1, that the peripheries of the lifting-cams c are concentric to the axis of shaft 0; consequently, the suction-box will be sustained at a given invariable height, when elevated, during its full forward stroke. 7

It will also be seen that the eccentrics c c are so constructed, with a portion of their peripheries concentric with their axes that, after the first picking-up movement of a sheet occurs, there will be a repose before the further elevation ofthe sheet, suflieient to allow the action of lateral blasts of air, to efi'ect a po sitive separation of such sheet from the pile. This is done by' making a small part of the periphery of the cams concentric with the arm on which they turn.

' The suction-box is arranged-transversely across tbe frame A, and supported by the guides F F 'oi1 sashesI S S, "as above described. This box, which receives bodily "movement both vertically and horizontally, is constructed with a flexible-bottom, It, composed of two stiff pieces connected together at the center of the box, and also connected-to the sides and ends of the top board G bymeans of any suitable flexible material, impervious to air.

Thelower edges of the longitudinal side-pieces of the upper portion of this box, are inclined from their ends to a point at the middle of their length, as shown in figs. 5 and 6, plate 2, so that when air is exhausted from the box G, the bottom sections R'will assume the inclined positions indicated in fig. '6, 'plate 2, thereby raising a sheet of paper higher from ,the pile at its sideedges than at its'central portion.

When the air is not exhausted from the box G, the sections R will assume the position indicated in fig. 5, either by their own gravity or by the aid of the springs. If the bottom edges of the sides of the upper portion of box G were inclined from the center of this box downwardly, then the sheets would be lifted higher at the middle of their width than at their lateral edges. To this flexible bottom, hollow fingers n are applied, having openings, 0, in their bottoms.

These fingersa extend forward of their box a suitable distance, and, by the exhaustion of air from this box they are caused to pick up the topmost sheet from c the pile of paper on the table beneath them.

Apertures are also formed through the bottom of the box, as shown in fig. 11. L

By this manner of using a suction box with narrow fingers, a two-fold object is secured, viz:

First, the sheet, when lifted by suction against the bottom of the box.and fingers, will be sustained and kept from drooping, as is the case when no such support is atfordedfor the sheet.

Second, the narrow extended fingers will permit the sheet to be carried close up to the grooved feed-rollers, or. between the gripers of a press,'such fingers, when grooved rollers are used, entering into the grooves thereof; or, vin other words, I am enabled to hold the sheets by their extreme front edges, and, while thus held, deliver them between the annnlarly grooved rollers .H, whereas, if such narrow extensions were not used, the forward edge of the paper would beleft unsupported, and could not, with precision, be delivered between the said rollers, and would bend down when damp.

In figs. 3 and 4, the fingers a are represented as being rigidlyapplied to the flexible sections R R of. the suction-box, and are thus dependent for their movements on the movements of said sections; but if desirable, each finger maybe made movable independently of another finger,.by connecting each finger with flexible material to the front lower corner. of the box. 7

' The' independently flexible fingers a, will accom-. modate themselves, as wellas the box, "to any irregularities of surface upon which they rest, and thus operate uniformly to pick up'a sheet from a pile of paper.

The feed-rollers, which receive the sheets one at a time from the fingers n, and deliver the sheets. to a press, or other machine, are annularly rooved, as shown in the drawing, for the purposeo admitting between them the said fingers during the act of delivering a sheet between these rollers.

' The exhaustion of air from the box G is continuous, and may be efi'ected by mcansof anysuitable exhausting-fan, put in communication with said box by'means of a flexible pipe applied to the nozzle g.

On one side of the nozzle" is a. valve, G, the stem .(r of, which is pivoted at h to the top of the box G,

and its outer end is arranged between two lugs i i, on one of the guides l shown in fig. 2.

the suctionebox G reaches the. terminus of its forward stroke, the forward lug 12 willcause valve G to uncover'hole v, and thus free the sheetfrom the finger n, and when the box G returns tothe terminus of its back stroke, the rearing i will cause the valve to close, opening, 4).

In rear'of the suction-box G, and arranged-in a horizontal planie,-is a shaft, K, which extends diag- 'onally' across frame A, over the table B. This shaftcarries diction-wheels k k,which may havebrushes applied to their peripheries, or which may be provided with cloth or; other. frictional material. These wheels, thus arranged, will move thetoprnos't sheets laterally and forward, and 'keep the edges evenly-in contact, with one-side, and the front end of the frame A, thereby automatically adjusting the sheets on the 5 table in proper position "tobe fed to a press, or other machine. v

For the purpose of positively separating the topmostsheet from the pile, during the act of liftingthis sheet, I employ blasts of air directed inwardly from opposite sides of thefl frame A. To do this effectually, tubes j pass through the sides of the frame A,

from a trunk, J, J J ,-and are inclined. so as to direct the cufl'entsdownwardly upon the pile of. paper, andinwardly'between the sheet which is being raised and the pile. v v

These blasts are continuous, and consequentlyoperate'duringthe act of moving forward eachsheet. 1

By arranging the blast-pipes-on opposite sides of't-he frame, two edges tif'the'p'ile of paper are acted upon by the currents of air, whereas an arrangement of a blast-pipe'or openings in front'of the pile of paper wonlddirect the currents upon one edgeonlyot'the pile.

adapted for picking up the sheets singly, frictional strippers, which I prefer to make of India-rubber pieces 11,.si1itablysechred in hoses P, and, if desira- "ble, made'adjustable lengthwise, The pieces 1) are arrangedone above another, so as to overhang the .lateraledges of the pileot' paper on the table B, and thereby operate withsome-degree of resistance upon the edges of each sheet while it is being freed fioinitspile, and alsoupon the edges of the succeedof separating or loosening the lateral edges of the topmost sheet'from the pile by the direct action, upon the topmost. sheet, of two inclined feet, I, which receive' lateral movements from cams a, on the faces of Ialso employ in conjunction with gthe'suction-box,

.In'figs. 7 and 8, plate3, I have represented a modethe eccentrics c,- acting through the medium of a forces its forward end outwardly. The -cam it moves this end of the lever inwardly. The feet lie upon the topmost sheet of the pile,and,-when mowed inwardly, .will, by a serrated or frictional edge, press' inwardly 'the edges of the topmost sheet, thus sliding these edges upon the sheet below, so that, when the feet. retract, theedges of the paper will spring back, and, in doing so, willrise over the elevated lips in, and thus allow currents of airto pass beneath the up turned edges-of the topmost sheet, and} in thisway, prepare this sheet for being separated or freed from the pile, and carried forward to the feed-rollers H.

Having described my invention,

hat I-claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv V 1. A suction-box, G, provided with-fingers n n,

which has botha vertical and horizontal movement, and

is constructed to pick up the sheets itself. and alford a continued support acrossthewhole width of the box and fingers, such box, being adapted for application to the extremities of a flexible tube of a suction apparatus, substantially as described.

2. In a paper-feeding machine, constructing the suction-boxwith flexible sides, which allow the bottom of the" box a freedom, to rise and'fall independently of the top thereol','so as to'aceommodate its under surface to the surface of the paper, substantially in'the manner described.

3'. The suction-box, or pneumatic picking-up device, made with a jointed bottomR R, or the equivalent thereofi-thc ends of which are capable of rising, while'itsintermediate or central portion remains in a given position, substantially in the manner-described.

4. Frictional stripping-devices,formed of a series of fingers arranged one above another on a paperfeeding machine, at the sides, or both at the sides and front thereof, substantially as described.

5. In a paper-feeding machine which has a vertically and horizontally-guided suction-box, or pneumatic'picking-up device, a combination of -mechanism which will, in imparting to said suction-boxer pneumatic picking-up device, the vertical and horizontal movements, allow said box' or picking-up device toremain stationary for a short period, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The picking-up fingers, extending out from the feed-rollers-H H, or their equivalents, substantially S, and applied directly to horizontal guides 1 whichare upon the vertically-movable sashes, substantially as described. ,JOHN T. ASHLEY.

Witnesses:

I -R.T. GAMPBELL,

J. N. CAMPBELL. 

